Crispy Spring Rolls Recipe

These Crispy Spring Rolls stuffed with fresh red and green cabbage, carrots, cilantro and chopped chicken are pan fried to create the perfectly crisp outer coating.

If you're looking for a quick, easy and versatile appetizer to serve your family or at your next social gathering, you gotta try these spring rolls. They're made with only a handful of fresh ingredients and the thin crispy wrapper provides the perfect crunch to each and every bite. They're so fun to make and are very economical.

If you're interested in learning how to make this easy spring rolls recipe, follow along as I walk you through step-by-step.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• What's in a Spring roll
• Difference between spring roll and egg roll
• How to make spring rolls at home
• How to store and reheat
• Can you freeze
• Tips
• 📖 Recipe

Ingredients

• Chicken (boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs)
• Red cabbage
• Green cabbage (savoy or napa)
• Carrots
• Cilantro
• Green onion (white used for filling, green used for garnish) - optional
• Frozen spring roll wrappers
• Sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce, or coco aminos for dipping

What's in a Spring roll

Although spring rolls are a versatile appetizer, I recommend filling them with vegetables that do not have a high water content. In other words, the filling shouldn't be too moist or wet as this can cause the thin wrapper to become soggy which can prevent it from becoming crisp and golden brown when pan fried.

The beauty of this spring rolls recipe is that you can adapt it to make vegetarian or non-vegetarian rolls. Why not make a batch of vegetarian and non-vegetarian rolls to accommodate all of your guests whether or not you're hosting a small or large gathering.

Make vegetarian: Fill with carrots, different types of cabbage, bell peppers, bamboo shoots and fresh herbs such as cilantro or parsley.

Make non-vegetarian: Add your choice of protein to the veggies such as: cooked boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs or ground chicken, cooked ground pork or pork butt, cooked beef, or cooked shrimp.

Difference between spring roll and egg roll

Spring roll wrappers are found in the freezer section of the grocery store; however, if you can't find them there you can definitely find them in the freezer section at a local Asian market. In fact, that's where I found the spring roll wrappers for this recipe.

Keep in mind that these are not egg roll wrappers. Egg roll wrappers are much thicker and are dipped in egg for richness. When fried, the outer surface of the egg roll wrapper is crispy and appear bubbly.

How to make spring rolls at home

Spring Roll Wrappers: The spring roll wrappers should be completely defrosted before assembling and pan frying. You can place the pack in the refrigerator to defrost overnight then the day of remove the pack from the fridge or simply place the pack on the counter top to defrost on the day you plan on making the spring rolls.

Filling: Thinly slice the cabbage, cut the carrots into matchsticks, and chop the cilantro. Add your protein of choice (cooked chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp).

For this recipe, I added cooked chicken breast which I brined in salted water for about 30 minutes then seasoned and seared in a cast iron skilled until the internal temperature reached 165 degrees F. Once the chicken breast was done, I allowed it to rest for 10 minutes then I chopped into really small bite-sized cubes.

Assemble: Place a wrapper on a chopping board, rub the inner edges of the wrapper with egg wash, place about a tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper and roll. Continue until you have filled all the wrappers you need for serving.

Cook: Place oil in a frying pan, cast iron skillet or saute pan. When hot, gently place the spring rolls in the hot oil and allow it to fry on all sides for a few minutes. Keep turning the rolls with tongs while they're frying.

How to store and reheat

Store remaining cooked spring rolls in an air tight container or large ziploc bag and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat, remove the spring rolls from the fridge, put on a baking sheet and cook under the broiler for a few minutes. Please watch closely while under the broiler. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes. They will become crisp and golden brown.

Can you freeze

You can absolutely freeze these spring rolls. All you need to do is follow the instructions for rolling them but do not cook them. Instead, place the uncooked spring rolls in a single layer on a plate or tray lined with saran wrap.

You can add another single layer on top of the first layer but make sure you have saran wrap between them and also cover that top layer with saran wrap as well. Then store in the freezer. Once frozen, remove them from the tray and place them in an airtight freezer safe container or freezer ziploc bag and place them back in the freezer up to 3 months.

When ready to cook, remove them from the freezer and follow the instructions for frying them.

Tips

• Make sure the filling is cool before wrapping the spring rolls to prevent the heat from making the wrapper wet and soggy.
• Use a sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce, or coco aminos for dipping highly recommend.
• When working with the wrappers, place a lightly damp paper towel over the unused wrappers to prevent them from drying out as you're in the process of making more spring rolls.
• If making a lot at one time, also place saran wrap over the uncooked spring rolls as more are being made.
• Fry at 350 degrees and do not crowd the pan.
• To get the perfect crispy outer coating, keep turning the spring rolls while they're frying, so they brown on all sides.
• Try not to over-stuff the wrappers to prevent the wrapper from breaking apart.
• To defrost the wrappers, place in the fridge overnight or on the counter top for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Total Cook time will depend on how many spring rolls you're making.

📖 Recipe